You may be thinking, "Materwelon, why tf are you reviewing movies and books?". Here's my aim:

See what makes or breaks a story:
 this is extremely crucial to understand how movies with a great premise still fail and how we can build better stories for movies and books!!

Helping writers (wattpad, novel, novella, etc.): by understanding what breaks a seemingly great story, iust a few alterations could increase anyone's audience and the likability of their story.

Context (skip this if you get it :)):
Genres:  Horror/Mystery
Main premise: After a yachting accident, a group of friends take refuge in an abandoned cruise liner. However, they soon realise that they are being stalked by a stranger who wants to hunt them down.

Before y'all be like, "I hated this movie!" or "It wasn't even that good," or "It was boring." HERE ME OUTTT. This movie is AMAZING. But it just didn't meet up to the hype it tried to create. 


Setting: YASSSSSS. Usually, when I'm watching a horror movie, the location and setting MUST be dark and mysterious and the weather has to appear the same way and things ALWAYS go wrong at NIGHT. But Triangle does the great thing of having the movie take place in the DAY. In the scourching hot sun of the summer which would be welcoming but becomes dreadful over the course of the movie. The appearance of seagulls also somehow make things even more weary. They arrive on AEOLUS but instead of the ship being old, abandonned and dramatically creepy, the movie takes its time with making the place seem polished yet making things progressively escalate. Not only that but there's a LOT of interesting elements to focus on in a setting where a group is stranded at sea. 



Characters and Plot: I just want to point out that the main character, Jess, was well built and layered in all her aspects. I'm not sure how or why but the "mom who'd do anything for her kid(s)" trope is intensly satisfying I couldn't wish for a better one. All the other characters are okay and the dynamics are well played out between the members of the boat. That one character (I forgot her name) who spends her final moments and dies on the top deck of the ship along with the other versions of her doesn't question anything and this reveals something chilling about the sort of loop Jess and the other characters were trapped in. The loop is not a typical time travel paradox where changing the past has a cascading effect on the future. Instead, it's a closed system where all actions, including the confrontation between the two Jesses, are part of a pre-established, unchangeable sequence. Jess is trapped in this loop as a consequence of her actions (abuse towards her son). The plot and, more specifically, the theme of this movie is based on the Greek myth of Sisyphus, a man condemned to eternally roll a boulder up a hill, only to have it roll back down before it reaches the top. Modern takes on ancient myths is what I absolutely love in fiction. But unlike other takes, Triangle successful keeps the metaphor(s) out of sight unlike in the novel, The Silent Patient, where Alicia writes something about a greek myth (or story idk I can't remember) and Theo slowly figures out the meaning and how it has to do with Alicia. You don't really get the movie's deeper meaning and references until you really pay attention, do your research, and not stop thinking about it once you do. It's amazing!!
The only reason why people hate the movie is because of its ending. As an author, story writer, wattpad writer, animator or whatever else gets you into storytelling, you have to realize that the ending can either completely make or break any story, no matter how long, short, significant, character-driven it is. I.E. the ending is one of the greatest and most important elements a story possesses. Why? Because it's exactly what the reader/viewer subconsciously asks themselves, 'How is this going to end?' The ending could also make all mysteries come to sense, mate down the theme, and finish a story in a way readers won't forget. All because of an ending. 

What can we learn from Triangle (2009)?

• Prioritize the ending at its best: although realistic to its inspiration, the ending of Triangle seemed to be the resevoir of low reviews. As an easy fix, further research for the plot could've been made. Instead of simply agreeing, "Sisyphus just continues pushing a boulder up a hill and fails repeatedly," they could've wondered, "What if Sisyphus actually manages to get it on the top of the hill instead of having the boulder 'almost reach the top' and fall down again? Would the boulder still roll down or would it break the rules of the universe?" or, "What if the boulder is never seen of again?". This is an optional question but, "What if Sisyphus is actually forgiven for his sins (Jess for her abuse)? (at a cost!!)". Or maybe another reference from a completely different myth about universes or things that don't make sense could be used. 
  
  
• Think crazy when it comes to characters, setting, and plot: Jess is a character we can empathize with more and more as the film progresses. It's a great inspiration, even if it's an unorginal trope it can be cool. Also, more horrors during the day are challenging but completely refreshing imo. For the plot, look around you. You can literally be inspired by what you study to become your reference. History? Make the plot inpried of of/mean in a metaphoric sense towards a myth or legend or even have modern things in your plot follow the takes of the past. Science? Introduce new concepts that only exist in your story world. What if magnetism could be used as a metaphor? What about gravity? Are there any character tropes I can base off of the organelles of a cell (I'M SERIOUS!!)?
  
  
• Normal elements made terrifying (use sparringly): The detail of seagulls adds to the horror as a horror element (if you paid attention).
  
  
  
  

  Remember, making stories better in their best form while executing foreshadowing, pacing, and story beats perfectly is what improves the movie industry, book industry, and storytelling as a whole.